Hello, DumpShock. I have questions, and I need opinions. (I think I've come to the right place.)

I have a magician NPC I'm developing that's made a career out of hunting down toxic magicians. I figure she'd have a banishing focus for dealing with pesky toxic spirits. (Yes, I realise it's more efficient to blast the things with a stunbolt. Just humour me. ) The rules for Spirit Foci in SR4A state that a spirit focus has to specify which type of spirit it concerns, and the Spirits section gives that list of spirit types (air/beast/earth/fire/man/water, IIRC, not counting the ones in Street Magic).

What I'm wondering is the following:

1. Is "toxic" considered a spirit type? If so, at what point does "toxic" supercede whatever other type the spirit is?
2. Does a "natural" Spirit Focus work equally well for toxic spirits as for "natural" Spirits? (For example, would a Beast Spirit Banishing Focus apply its bonuses against both beast spirits and abomination spirits?)
3. Is it reasonable to have a "Toxic Spirit Banishing Focus" that would give bonuses specifically against toxic forms of any given spirit, but not their "natural" forms?
4. Is there a compelling reason to say that you just can't apply spirit foci to toxic spirits, period? I know Street Magic says that only toxic magicians can summon or bind toxic spirits, but no such limitation exists for banishing, and I can't imagine there hasn't been at least one enchanter that's gone, "You need to banish toxic spirits? I bet I could make you somethin' for that!" (Various eco-policubs and Tír elves have probably sought to do just that.)

Thanks in advance.

Banishing is very effective against high Force spirits (since those typically owe only few services), esp. if they are guarded by Counterspelling as well.

Also, Banishing definitely works against toxis spirits.
Street Magic p. 144 "Other magicians can banish toxic spirits, but they are unable to control them with a Summoning Test if the spirit becomes uncontrolled."

1. The rules are not precise enough at this level. It could be a type on the same level as "fire, water, man, guardian, etc" or it could be some sort of subtype.
2. I would say so, yes. Works on both. A toxic water spirit is still a water spirit, after all.
3. I think it would be fine. Pretty limited in application, actually, unless the campaign focuses heavily on Toxics.
4. Nope.

Bye
Thanee

I keep forgetting about Counterspelling guard. "Geek the mage first" indeed.



I'm not sure how involved toxics are going to be; probably not that heavily, since none of my players are running Awakened characters. The banishing focus is supposed to be for a combination GMPC/Johnson that I run (and am currently writing a bunch of stuff on).

Thanks for the advice!

I'd also suggest becoming familiar with Attacks Of Will (Street Magic, page 94). Gives any sleeper with good Willpower and Charisma scores a fighting chance (even if it might be a rather slim one).

Ooo, thanks, forgot about those. Now to find PCs with good Willpower and Charisma. (At the moment my players have a hacker, a street sam and a combination street sam/covops specialist... I think it might be safter to use low-Force spirits that can be killed with guns, if it comes down to it.)